Business, labor warchest builds to crush Tim Eyman's Initiative 976

Initiative leader Tim Eyman has called opponents of his Initiative 976 "pigs at the trough (who) wanna keep the gravy train going." The "gravy train" is the state's infrastructure.

Initiative leader Tim Eyman has called opponents of his Initiative 976 "pigs at the trough (who) wanna keep the gravy train going." The "gravy train" is the state's infrastructure.

Photo: / Associated Press

Photo: / Associated Press

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Initiative leader Tim Eyman has called opponents of his Initiative 976 "pigs at the trough (who) wanna keep the gravy train going." The "gravy train" is the state's infrastructure.

Initiative leader Tim Eyman has called opponents of his Initiative 976 "pigs at the trough (who) wanna keep the gravy train going." The "gravy train" is the state's infrastructure.

Photo: / Associated Press

Business, labor warchest builds to crush Tim Eyman's Initiative 976

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A broad spectrum of business and labor interests has raised a seven figure warchest to fight and defeat Tim Eyman's Initiative 976 on the November ballot, and will "start communicating with votes" this week.

The campaign, called Keep Washington Rolling, has raised $1.413 million, with another $400,000 about to come in from Amazon.

The donors include big corporate names (e.g. Microsoft at $300,000, Expedia at $100,000, $100,000 from engineering companies at ACEC) as well as construction unions and Washington State Democrats.

I-976 would bring back $30 car tabs, at a total revenue loss over the next 6-10 years of $1.9 billion to state transportation projects, and $2.3 billion to local governments, according to a fiscal impact study by the state's Office of Financial Management.

But I-976 represents a political lifeline for Eyman, who is facing a $2.1 million civil suit by the Attorney General's office.

The perpetual initiative promoter is alleged to have hidden donations to past initiative campaigns, improperly transferring money from one initiative to another, and taking in excess of $300,000 in kickbacks for his personal use. Eyman has repeatedly been held in contempt for dragging his feet on disclosing financial documents.

During 20 years of putting initiatives on the ballot, Eyman has enjoyed ballot success with tax measures. He has lost repeatedly with transportation measures, notably a bid to keep Sound Transit from crossing Lake Washington.

The state's voters, in 2016, approved Sound Transit 3, an expansion that will eventually carry rail service from Tacoma to Everett, and across Lake Washington to Bellevue and Redmond. Sound Transit recently broke ground for a new terminal in Lynnwood.

A "transportation-industrial complex" of big business, contractors, engineering firms and construction unions fueled the Sound Transit 3 campaign to the tune of more than $3 million. It gave light rail a comfortable majority in November despite efforts to derail it by The Seattle Times editorial page.

"Keep Washington Rolling" is back on track for the I-976 campaign, reflecting a variety of the state's power centers.

In reports filed at the Public Disclosure Commission, $19,637 from Washington State Democrats is right alongside $20,000 from Avista, the Spokane utility which has long written checks to Republican committees and politicians.

Corporate donations include $35,000 from Puget Sound Energy, $50,000 from PEMCO, $20,000 from Alaska Airlines, $25,000 from Premera Blue Cross, $15,000 from the BP Cherry Point refinery, $7,500 from the Seattle Mariners, and $10,000 from the Washington State Troopers PAC. (I-976 would take a bit out of Washington State Patrol funding.)

The Washington State Labor Council has come out strongly against I-976. The No-on-976 campaign has received $50,000 from the Carpenters, $25,000 from the Laborers, and $25,000 from the Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council.

Tracey Newman, chief fundraiser for Gov. Jay Inslee and Sen. Patty Murray, has collected nearly $50,000 from the campaign. The Fairbank Maslin polling firm, which has worked for Murray, has been paid more than $110,000.

The list of donors could pose ideological problems for some on the Seattle left. It has put them into the same foxhole as frequent targets.

The Stranger has sought to demonize political donations by Puget Sound Energy. Yet, the Bellevue-based utility is committing resources to oppose an initiative that would devastate Sound Transit. The Stranger is a big backer of Sound Transit.

Eyman has rarely put together campaigns for initiatives once he gets them on the ballot.

He is mainly posting pictures, telling followers of his travels boosting I-976, and calling people names. Attorney General Bob Ferguson is "Fascist Fergie" and opponents of I-976 are "pigs" or "pigs at the trough (who) wanna keep the gravy train rolling."

Eyman is asking for money, not to fight for I-976 but for help with "brutal" costs of fighting the AG's lawsuit. Filings with the federal bankruptcy court show that Eyman's income from followers is in decline.

In past campaigns, Eyman transportation initiatives have started in the lead, but support has cratered as voters have focused in on potential damage to the state's infrastructure. He has boasted, citing a poll that nobody has ever seen, that I-976 is ahead in Seattle.

When will Keep Washington Rolling roll out its campaign?

"We are going to start communicating with voters this week," Sandeep Kashek of Sound View Strategies, which is advising the campaign, said in an email.

Will Eyman go away if he loses again? Not likely. He was out with another email blast on Wednesday, saying he has hired libertarian ex-State Supreme Court Justice Richard Sanders to represent him in the fight against "Fergie."

Columnist Joel Connelly has written about politics for the P-I since 1973.